Before any of you wonder about this photo, let me just tell you it's seven years old! I usually do not post photos of my kids, but I'm making an exception here because well, she's just a baby, and secondly it's hard for me to even fathom that that was my baby. Isn't is weird how that happens? And I really wanted to share with you this wonderful idea for a cute almost no-sew Purim costume, or if you sew, even just a little, a great addition to any Summer wardrobe, for those who are pillowcase size that is!
Little Queen Esther Purim Costume (No-Sew Pillowcase Dress):
You'll Need:
- A patterned, embroidered or lace/eyelet edged pillowcase (mine was something vintage from the thrift store)
- Wide ribbon for the shoulder straps
- Additional ribbon, buttons and trim if desired
- Hot glue, or fabric glue, staples, a needle and thread
How To:
- Measure height of child and cut off length from the closed end of the pillowcase.
- Cut quarter-circle shaped armholes.
- If pillow case is too wide at top, so gather in a pleat (see photo) and glue in place. You can also cut wider armholes to eliminate some of the excess fabric.
- To finish raw edges either fold over and glue, or cover with ribbon.
- Sew wide ribbon to front and back of shoulder area (two pieces of ribbon for each side) and tie in a bow.
- To accessorize the outfit, sew pearl buttons on pink baby shoes, and make a crown with wire and beads, and then attach it to an existing headband together with a bit of shear fabric. (I would be able to do a much better job on this today, that was seven long years ago!)
Sewn Pillowcase Dress How To:
I just took a quick look around the web, and there are quite a few tutorials to choose from! This one, from ehow.com has no photos but is straightforward, and I like the idea of a gathered neck not created with elastic, but with ties. Here's a photo of a really great looking version, but with no specific instructions, though I think you could make it by slightly altering the pattern from ehow, and looking at the photo!
Have fun collecting some great pillowcases for this project, and hey, maybe you'll just want to save some of those pillow cases you collect to use as.....pillowcases!
